An Unexpected Love
by SeraphAngel
Summary: Narcissa Black marries Lucius Malfoy, never expecting to love him as much as she does. This is the story of what the wife of a Death Eater goes through when she loses her husband.
1. Dating

Author's Note: Please don't ask me why I wrote this. Even I have no idea. I got the idea when I was writing _Love and Flashbacks_, and I'm going to use some scenes and characters from that story.

Title: An Unexpected Love  
Rating: PG  
Spoilers: Just a little.  
Summary: Narcissa Black marries Lucius Malfoy, never expecting to love him as much as she does. This is the story of what the wife of a Death Eater goes through when she loses her husband.  
Disclaimer: All this _Harry Potter _stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling, but the plot of this story is mine.  
Setting: This story begins during Lucius and Narcissa's days at Hogwarts and goes through their years of marriage to each other.

--- - setting change  
_italics - _emphasis

-Dating-

Lucius Malfoy and his girlfriend were—erm—making out on top of the Astronomy Tower.

They stopped, and Narcissa put her head on his chest. "You are _really_ good at that," she whispered.

"Mm," the Slytherin fifth year replied. "Do you want to go inside now?"

The blonde girl shook her head. "No, not yet. Just stay out… here…" she said, somewhat sleepily.

"Okay."

---

Lucius sneaked back into the Slytherin common room at 3:02 a.m. He was half dragging Narcissa, who was barely awake enough to stand up.

"Goodnight, Lucius," she said, stumbling as she made her way to her room.

"Goodnight."

---

"Good morning," Lucius greeted Narcissa as she came into the common room the next morning.

"Morning. Would you do me the honor of escorting me to breakfast?" she asked, smiling.

"Certainly."

---

_Poof._ Lucius was suddenly dressed in a teddy bear suit. Narcissa put her hand over her mouth to hide her smile.

"_Potter_," the Slytherin boy said angrily, glaring at James, who was laughing with his friends at the Gryffindor table. He took out his wand and removed the costume.

---

"I'm going to get that James Potter if it's the last thing I do," Lucius muttered, pacing about the Slytherin common room.

"Oh, come on. I think you looked cute in that bear suit," Narcissa replied.

"No, I looked stupid. And I don't want to look 'cute.'"

"Well, _I _want you to look cute."

"_Narcissa_," Lucius growled.

"Okay. Sorry. Get on with your plot for revenge."

"I can't think of one right now." He sat down next to her. "He's done so many things to me over the years that I can't think of anything I could possibly do to him that he hasn't done before." He started stroking Narcissa's long, wavy blond hair.

"Lucius, just ignore him."

"You try ignoring someone that annoying."

"I do."

"That's only because you're never a target of his stupid pranks."

"Maybe I'm not a target because I ignore him."

"Not that paradox thing again."

Narcissa smiled. "Goodnight, Lucius." She got up and started walking to her room.

"Goodnight."

---

"When are you going to give me my present?" Narcissa asked Lucius during breakfast one day.

Lucius looked puzzled. "Present for what?"

"What do you mean, 'present for what?' You _know_ what. My birthday."

Lucius paled. "Oh. Er—right. Today's your birthday…"

"You forgot!" Narcissa yelled, her cerulean eyes flashing in anger.

"No, I didn't forget. I just—"

"You forgot," Narcissa said in disbelief. "You didn't remember my birthday. I can't believe you. I remembered _yours._"

"Well—"

"No. I don't want to hear it. Obviously, I'm not important enough for you to remember my birthday, so I'm not going to be around for you to forget it anymore. We're through." She got up from the long table and exited the Great Hall.

Lucius got up and chased her, followed by several of his friends (they were pretty much finished with their meal anyway and they wanted to see what was going to happen).

---

Sirius, Remus, Peter, and James were standing outside the Great Hall, waiting for some Slytherins to finish breakfast that Saturday morning. They had their wands hidden behind their backs.

A blonde Slytherin fifth year came storming out of the Great Hall.

The Gryffindors sent each other questioning looks.

Lucius Malfoy came running after the girl, followed by a bunch of his friends. "Narcissa, wait!"

"Leave me alone, Lucius!"

That was when the Marauders decided to play their prank.

"Narcissa, I—" Suddenly, he couldn't speak. All that came out of his mouth was a hissing sound. The Slytherins behind him were hissing as well.

"You what, Lucius? You're an idiot? Because I already knew that," Narcissa said venomously. "We are through." She stalked off toward the dungeons.

Malfoy turned on the Marauders, still hissing.

"What? Did you say something? Can't hear you," James said, grinning.

One of the boys behind Malfoy took out his wand and tried to curse them, but couldn't, since he couldn't speak.

Sirius clicked his tongue. "Avery, don't be so rude."

Malfoy and Snape turned and ran inside the Great Hall, hissing loudly. Halfway to the staff table, they stopped hissing. They were suddenly able to speak. "Sss—fessor Brewer!"

"Is there a problem, boys?" asked Professor Brewer, the Potions professor and head of Slytherin House.

"No," Malfoy replied. "No problem, sorry to bother you." He turned and glared at the Marauders, who smiled innocently at him.

He and Snape walked back out.

Malfoy glared darkly at the Gryffindor fifth years. "You'll pay for that. You just ruined my relationship with Narcissa."

"Like she really liked you anyway," Sirius said. "She was probably only interested in you for your money."

The Slytherin boy didn't answer; he ran off to fix the damage he had done.

---

Lucius entered the common room. "Narcissa—"

The blonde got up and started walking to her room. Lucius grabbed her wrist and turned her around to face him. She tried to pull away. "Lucius, let go of me."

"No. Not till you listen to me."

"I don't want to hear what you have to say," she said, not meeting his gaze.

"I'm sorry."

She stopped struggling and looked down at the floor. "Fine. I'm listening," she said quietly.

Lucius sighed. "I'm sorry I forgot your birthday. I don't know how I didn't remember. How can I make it up to you?"

"I don't know. It really hurts that you don't think my birthday's important enough to remember," Narcissa replied quietly.

"You _are_ important to me. I just—I don't know. Can you forgive me?" Lucius asked anxiously.

Narcissa looked into his gray eyes. "I guess," she said, looking down again.

"So are we okay?"

She nodded.

Lucius tilted her chin up. When his lips met hers, Narcissa knew that she would definitely forgive him.

---

"So what happened today at breakfast?" Kelly Richardson asked Narcissa. "You made such a scene."

"Yeah," said Tina Harris. "I was a little too far away to hear. What'd Lucius do, forget your birthday?"

"As a matter of fact, he did forget my birthday."

"What? How could he do that?"

"Is that today?" Tina asked. "I guess in that case, happy birthday, Narcissa."

"Thanks."

"So then, what happened?" Kelly asked eagerly. "I mean, I saw you with him today, and you didn't look mad."

"I forgave him," Narcissa replied. "He apologized."

---

Narcissa was sitting in the common room with Lucius, doing homework. "Lucius?"

"Hmm?" Lucius replied absently.

"Why did you ask me to be your girlfriend?"

Lucius tilted his head. "Wh—why do you ask that?"

"Just curious. Did you ask me out for my looks, or my personality, or what?"

"I don't know. I was… drawn to you, I suppose."

Narcissa smiled and kissed him.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Author's Note: Strange, very strange. And so much out-of-characterness… Of course, that's the basis for my whole story…


	2. Special Feelings

Author's Note: Well, um… hmm. Oh yeah. I realize that the Slytherins don't sound very Slytheriny, but there's just no other way I can make it work… Argh. Darn my short attention span… Oh! Um… There are some parts that might be confusing if you haven't read my other fanfic, _Love and Flashbacks_.

Title: An Unexpected Love  
Rating: PG  
Spoilers: Just a little.  
Summary: Narcissa Black marries Lucius Malfoy, never expecting to love him as much as she does. This is the story of what the wife of a Death Eater goes through when she loses her husband.  
Disclaimer: All this _Harry Potter _stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling, but the plot of this story is mine.  
Setting: This story begins during Lucius and Narcissa's days at Hogwarts and goes through their years of marriage to each other.

--- - setting change  
/…/ - time  
_italics - _emphasis

-Special Feelings-

Narcissa was working with Lucius during Potions class. She looked at him and noticed that he wasn't smiling.

Lucius was sweet only to her. He never displayed too much emotion in public. That was partly because his friends were always hanging around, and he didn't want to seem like a sissy. Narcissa didn't mind if he didn't show a lot of affection toward her around other people, because he made her feel really special when they were alone.

---

Pandora Robinson, the other Slytherin girl in Narcissa's year, came into the dormitory. "Hi, Narcissa. Kelly." Tina was nowhere to be found.

"Did you break up with him?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah. Severus is too… intense for me."

Narcissa said, "I can't believe you went out with him in the first place."

"Well, I felt sorry for him," Pandora replied. "Besides, you're the one going out with Lucius Malfoy."

"And what, pray tell, is wrong with Lucius?" Narcissa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He's so mean to everyone."

Narcissa snorted. "At least he's better-looking than Severus. And he's not like that around me. He's not mean, he's just a bit distant sometimes."

"Well, what's he like around you?" Pandora asked out of curiosity.

Narcissa smiled. "He's… nice, and kind of sweet… I don't know… I think he's adorable."

Kelly laughed. "I can't believe the word 'adorable' was just used to describe Lucius Malfoy."

---

The Hogwarts students got off the train and onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

Lucius was with his girlfriend, saying good-bye. "I'll miss you."

"Well, I'll miss you more," replied Narcissa.

"No, I'll miss _you_ more."

"No, I'll miss _you _more."

"Oh, don't make me gag," Pandora said as she passed by.

Lucius leaned down to give Narcissa a good-bye kiss. "Bye," he said, before walking off to join his parents.

---

/6th year/

"Oh… it's beautiful," Narcissa said to Lucius. She was holding a locket, which Lucius had given her for their one-year anniversary.

She pulled her long, golden hair away from her neck so he could put the locket on her.

"Lucius, how serious is this relationship?" she asked.

Lucius thought for a moment, then said, "Pretty serious. To me at least. I like you a lot."

The blonde smiled. "I feel the same way about you." She hugged him.

He held her close to him and closed his eyes. "Mm. I love you."

"What?" Narcissa took a step back. "What did you say?"

Lucius thought about the last thing he had said, and his gray eyes widened. "Nothing. I didn't say anything. We were hugging, and I said absolutely nothing. Nothing at all. No words came out of my mouth." He nervously ran a hand through his white-blond hair.

"You said… you said, 'I love you,'" Narcissa said.

"No, I didn't. What I actually said was, uh, 'I'm a gnu.'"

"No. That's not what you said. Besides, that makes no sense. You love me. You do, don't you?" She looked at his face.

Lucius didn't say anything for a moment. He just looked at the beautiful girl in front of him. "Yes," he said, looking away, "I do. I'll understand if you don't feel the same way. I don't know why—"

Narcissa silenced him by putting a finger to his lips. "I love you too," she said softly. She replaced her finger with her own lips.

---

Narcissa lay down on her bed, a huge grin on her face.

"What's up?" Tina asked.

"Oh… nothing. Lucius just gave me a beautiful locket for our anniversary and told me that he loves me."

"What?" Kelly asked. "When did this happen?"

"Just now."

"This is really serious, isn't it?" Pandora asked.

"Mm-hmm. You know, I never thought it'd get this far. I thought we would just go out a few times and then stop seeing each other. But oh… somehow, I fell in love with him."

Tina said, "That's really nice. A bit strange, considering it's Lucius Malfoy, but nice."

---

"You told her that you love her?" asked the greasy-looking Slytherin boy.

"Yes, Severus. I don't know what happened. It just… came out," Lucius replied.

"You shouldn't get so attached to people," Snape said disdainfully.

Lucius looked at him. "Narcissa is really special."

"It's your life. I'm just giving you my opinion."

---

"Lucius? Are you all right? Your mind seems to be somewhere else," Narcissa looked at her boyfriend, concerned.

"I'm okay. I was just thinking about some stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

"Nothing that concerns you," Lucius said, trying to steer her away from the topic. "It's not very important. I was just thinking about something, that's all."

"Okay. You'd tell me if something was really bothering you, wouldn't you?" she asked.

"Yeah, of course," Lucius replied, not looking very sure at all.

---

(AN: This is a spoiler for _Love and Flashbacks._)

"Watch where you're going, Mudblood!" Severus Snape yelled. Charlotte Davis, a Gryffindor, had bumped into him while turning a corner.

"I—"

Koren Smith, another Gryffindor sixth year, came over and pushed Snape. "Don't you dare insult my friend, or you are going to regret you had ever been born." She wasn't afraid of him and knew he wasn't going to do anything to her. Koren, unlike Charlotte, was a pureblooded witch. She was also not one to be pushed around.

"Come on, Severus," Lucius Malfoy said. "It's not worth it. Don't waste your time fighting with these _Gryffindors_," he continued, fixing Koren and Charlotte with his most contemptuous look.

Snape looked at the angry girl in front of him and started walking toward the dungeons. "I'm going to make her pay for that," he muttered when the Gryffindors were out of range.

"Don't worry. They'll get what's coming to them," Lucius said harshly.

Narcissa stared at him. She had never seen this side of him before (except when he was talking about James Potter). She didn't understand why they were being so serious. And what did he mean, 'what's coming to them'? The Slytherin girl had never had anything against Muggle-borns, as long as they didn't bother her. She started wondering how well she really knew her boyfriend.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Author's Note: Don't know why it's so short. I have so many ideas, but not a lot of them made it in here. Why is that? One of the many mysteries of my life…


	3. Marriage

Author's Note: Is anyone reading this?

Title: An Unexpected Love  
Rating: PG  
Spoilers: Just a little.  
Summary: Narcissa Black marries Lucius Malfoy, never expecting to love him as much as she does. This is the story of what the wife of a Death Eater goes through when she loses her husband.  
Disclaimer: All this _Harry Potter _stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling, but the plot of this story is mine.  
Setting: This story begins during Lucius and Narcissa's days at Hogwarts and goes through their years of marriage to each other.

--- - setting change  
/…/ - time  
_italics - _emphasis

-Marriage-

/7th year/

Lucius and Narcissa were in the Slytherin common room. The boy (who had recently turned eighteen) knelt on the floor in front of his girlfriend. "Narcissa," he said, pulling a ring box out of the pocket of his robes, "will you marry me?"

Narcissa was shocked. "I—I have to think about this," she said, fleeing to her room.

---

"Lucius asked me to marry him," she announced to the girls she shared a room with. She flopped onto her bed. "I don't know what to tell him."

"I think you should accept," Tina replied. "You love him, don't you? Besides, the Malfoys are loaded. You'd be set for life."

Kelly said, "Maybe you should weigh the pros and cons. Make a list or something."

Pandora spoke up, "Do you want to be with him for the rest of your life? That is, after all, the real question here."

Narcissa sat up but didn't say a word. The others watched as she thought about her answer, her long blond hair falling into her face.

After a few minutes, she got up abruptly and walked out of the room.

---

Lucius stood up as Narcissa came back into the common room, his gray eyes hopeful. The seventeen-year-old girl went over to him and took a deep breath.

"Yes."

---

Lucius and Narcissa were married a year after they graduated from Hogwarts. Narcissa didn't know that her husband was a Death Eater. Lucius always left at night, when she was sleeping, or told her he had an important meeting to attend (which _was_ true, just not in the way she thought). All the young woman knew was that he supported Lord Voldemort.

---

/A few years later/

Lucius came home from work to find his wife waiting for him in the study. He pulled off his cloak and greeted her with a kiss.

Narcissa was unusually tense. She didn't even smile when he kissed her.

"Is something wrong?" Lucius asked, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Yes. No." Narcissa shook her head. "I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" Lucius asked, fearing the worst.

"Lucius, I'm pregnant," Narcissa told him.

"You are?"

She nodded, smiling. Lucius kissed her again. This time, she kissed him back.

---

/1 year and some months later/

Narcissa held her young son in her arms, trying to make him go to sleep. "Shh… Draco, please just go to sleep," she begged.

The blond woman heard some familiar sounds somewhere else in the manor, which meant that Lucius was home.

"Dobby!" she called. The house-elf scampered into the room. "Dobby, stay with Draco until he goes to sleep, or until we call you."

Narcissa went to go find her husband.

---

"Lucius."

The man looked tired. It had taken some work to convince the Ministry to clear him. He stared silently at his wife.

"We need to talk," Narcissa said.

"Later," he said, getting under the covers.

"No. Now."

He sighed. "Fine."

"Why didn't you tell me you were a Death Eater? Actually, what I want to know is why you became one in the first place."

"The Dark Lord was very persuasive. He was taking over everywhere. He would have succeeded if it hadn't been for that Potter boy…"

"You didn't try to make _me_ become a Death Eater." She sat down next to him on the bed. "Why?"

He looked at her. "It was dangerous. I want you to be safe."

"If—if he had succeeded, would you have made Draco…" She didn't finish her sentence.

"I don't know. I really don't know."

Narcissa put her head on his shoulder and let Lucius play with her hair.

"I love you," he whispered, then kissed her on the forehead.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Author's Note: Please review!


	4. Changes

Author's Note: Well, I still have nothing to say. My mind is blank. And I mean that literally…

Title: An Unexpected Love  
Rating: PG  
Spoilers: Just a little.  
Summary: Narcissa Black marries Lucius Malfoy, never expecting to love him as much as she does. This is the story of what the wife of a Death Eater goes through when she loses her husband.  
Disclaimer: All this _Harry Potter _stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling, but the plot of this story is mine.  
Setting: This story begins during Lucius and Narcissa's days at Hogwarts and goes through their years of marriage to each other.

--- - setting change  
111 - begin flashback  
000 - end flashback  
/…/ - time  
_italics - _emphasis

-Changes-

"Daddy, tell me a story," a four-year-old Draco begged.

Lucius considered for a moment. "All right. There once was a wizard who put fear into the hearts of everyone…"

Narcissa Malfoy leaned against the doorframe and listened as her husband told their son a story about a wizard who feared death, a young Death Eater who supported him, and the child who defeated him.

---

Later, as she got into bed, Narcissa asked, "Lucius, that story you told Draco… it's true, isn't it?" Narcissa had known that Lucius was a Death Eater ever since his trial, but he had never told her the whole story.

"I don't want to talk about it," Lucius replied, rolling over so he was facing away from her. "Goodnight, Narcissa."

"Lucius—"

"I _said_ goodnight."

Narcissa stared at him for a minute. "Okay," she said quietly. "Goodnight, Lucius."

---

/2 years later/

Narcissa turned to her right and looked at Lucius. "Lucius," she whispered.

"What?" he answered sleepily.

"Do you still… love me?"

"Of course I do. What kind of question is that?"

"I don't know. You just haven't said it for a while—" she stopped, realizing that he wasn't awake to hear her.

She looked sadly at the sleeping form of her husband, and then curled up next to him. She got as close as she could, trying to get warm.

---

/2 years later/

Lucius had changed. He had become cold and distant. Whatever warmth Narcissa had ever found in his eyes was now gone. He showed less emotion than ever. Whenever he and Draco were together, she recognized the look her young son gave his father as one of hero worship.

Narcissa was becoming increasingly unhappy and didn't smile as much as she used to. She was losing the man she fell in love with and didn't know how to deal with it.

She knew Lucius was doing what he thought was best. He was providing Draco with a strong role model. He didn't realize that he was alienating his wife. Narcissa never told him how she felt. Instead, she settled into her role as the dutiful wife.

Sometimes, she wished that things were different. She wanted everything back to the way it was—she wanted Lucius back to the way he used to be. But she remained silent, knowing that he still loved her, even if he didn't show it that much.

---

It was past midnight, and Narcissa was still awake. She had been staring at her sleeping husband for about an hour. She wanted to be close to him—as close as they had been when they were younger. What had changed? How had Lucius become so different? She remembered the dinner she had consumed a few hours ago.

111

"How was your day, Draco?" Lucius asked his son.

"I learned a new spell at school," the eight-year-old boy said.

Lucius nodded approvingly and turned to his wife. "And you, Narcissa?"

She glanced at him and mumbled, "Fine," before looking back at her plate. Lucius nodded at her as well and then started talking about something-or-other that the Ministry of Magic was doing. Draco listened attentively, but his mother continued to stare at her food, not listening to a word her husband was saying.

Couldn't he see that she wasn't fine? Didn't he know how hurt she was that he had stopped talking to her? Why did he keep pushing her out of his life? When had he changed? How come he was so unreachable?

These questions and many others swirled around in Narcissa's mind as she finished her meal in silence.

000

She moved closer to Lucius and put her head on his chest. She could hear and feel his heart—the heart she so desperately wanted to reach—beating. She liked being in this position; his heartbeat made him seem more real somehow.

Someday she would get him back. Someday she would pour out her feelings, he would listen, and he would come back to her. But for now, Narcissa was perfectly content to just lie there and listen to the rhythmic beat of her love's heart.

---

/3 years later/

Lucius had not changed—if anything, he had become colder and more distant. Narcissa now constantly wore an expression that made it seem as though she were smelling something horrible. She knew that she would never leave her husband; she loved him too much to do that. She also knew that if she divorced Lucius, she would lose her only son, for Draco looked up to his father and always had.

Lucius still had no idea of the pain his wife went through everyday. He knew she was acting a little different, but he thought she was just going through a phase.

---

Narcissa looked at Lucius's face (AN: Yeah, he's sleeping again. Getting monotonous, ain't it?). She wanted to see his eyes. They used to show her whatever emotion he was experiencing. They didn't do that anymore.

She wished there was some way to get past his icy exterior to reach the real Lucius—the Lucius that had somehow disappeared.

Silent tears dripped down her face and onto her pillow.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Author's Note: Darn. I wish I could make this fanfic a movie… I don't know why I'm writing this fic. I mean, I don't even like Slytherins (no offense to any who may be fans out there). Well, I'm off to try to figure out how a supposedly smart person like me forgets every single thing she's supposed to remember…


	5. Why?

Author's Note: This chapter has spoilers for the fourth book. Argh… I should write things down when I think of them. I can't remember how the original thing went. Whatever. I hope this will be just as good.

Title: An Unexpected Love  
Rating: PG  
Spoilers: Just a little.  
Summary: Narcissa Black marries Lucius Malfoy, never expecting to love him as much as she does. This is the story of what the wife of a Death Eater goes through when she loses her husband.  
Disclaimer: All this _Harry Potter _stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling, but the plot of this story is mine.  
Setting: This story begins during Lucius and Narcissa's days at Hogwarts and goes through their years of marriage to each other.

--- - setting change  
/…/ - time  
_italics - _emphasis

-Why?-

/Summer before Draco's 4th year/

"Ah, Fudge," said Mr. Malfoy, holding out his hand as he reached the Minister of Magic. "How are you? I don't think you've met my wife, Narcissa? Or our son, Draco?"

Narcissa didn't like the man her husband had become. What had happened to the sweet (albeit conceited) boy she had once known? Where had he gone? When had everything changed? They said wizards who were put in Slytherin were ambitious. Perhaps Lucius was a bit too ambitious. He reminded her of how Severus Snape used to be. Oily. Greasy. Very unlikable. Lucius always associated with the "top" people at the Ministry. It seemed to her that he was a bit power-mad.

She thought about her son, the boy who looked so much like his father (AN: Strangely enough, Harry looks a lot like his father too… What's with all the family resemblance?). She didn't want him to be like Lucius. She didn't want some poor girl to go through the same pain she went through everyday. Draco had inherited his father's gray eyes. To his mother, it seemed that he had also inherited the coldness that resided in those eyes.

"How do you do, how do you do?" said Fudge, smiling and bowing to Mrs. Malfoy. "And allow me to introduce you to Mr. Oblansk—Obalonsk—Mr.—well, he's the Bulgarian Minister of Magic, and he can't understand a word I'm saying anyway, so never mind. And let's see who else—you know Arthur Weasley, I daresay?"

---

Mr. Malfoy's cold gray eyes swept over Mr. Weasley, and then up and down the row.

"Good lord, Arthur," he said softly. "What did you have to sell to get seats in the Top Box? Surely your house wouldn't have fetched this much?"

Narcissa thought Lucius was being very cruel, but she didn't say anything, because she was supposed to be the dutiful wife and stay quiet while her husband greeted everyone.

Fudge, who wasn't listening, said, "Lucius has just given a _very_ generous contribution to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Arthur. He's here as my guest."

Narcissa thought back to when she had first met Lucius. He had always prided himself on the fact that he was rich. Ever since his trial, he had donated a lot of money to a lot of causes to convince people that he was decent.

"How—how nice," said Mr. Weasley, with a very strained smile.

Mr. Malfoy's eyes had returned to Hermione, who went slightly pink, but stared determinedly back at him.

The blond woman didn't know why Lucius hated Muggle-borns. She was a pureblooded witch herself, but she didn't really care if someone else was or not.

---

Narcissa watched as her hooded and masked husband tortured the Muggles hanging in the air. She knew he was drunk. There was no way he would have done this if he was sober, not with so many Ministry wizards running around.

She had a problem with what he was doing. Draco did not. Narcissa hated the fact that he was so much like his father. She hated the fact that sometimes he was so much like him, he was almost Lucius's clone.

She was starting to feel sick. If the Ministry unmasked Lucius, everything would be over. He was putting himself in danger, and for what? For no reason except his own blind hatred.

---

/Draco's 4th year/

"And I was telling him that—"

Narcissa tuned out as her husband continued to drone on and on about something-or-other that Fudge had said, or something he had said to Fudge… She hadn't been paying much attention. She sat there, watching him, thinking about their relationship and how it had changed over the years. And suddenly she snapped.

"Then he said that he—" Lucius was cut off by the most passionate kiss his wife had ever given him.

When Narcissa pulled away, Lucius thought that she looked like she was going to cry. He stared at her, puzzled. "Narcissa, what—"

"You _used _to kiss me like that," the blonde said. "Why don't you kiss me like that anymore?" she asked, choking back her tears.

Lucius opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Narcissa started speaking again, more loudly. "You used to do a lot of things that you don't do anymore. Why?" She was starting to sound hysterical. "I hate this! I hate it! I hate not being able to be myself in public! I hate being so perfect all the time! You've changed, Lucius. You used to care more about me than getting power and respect. Now, I think it's the other way around. I want you to come back to me. I just—I can't—Please…" She started crying.

Lucius pulled her closer to him. The sight of his beautiful wife reduced to this sobbing mess stirred something within him.

Narcissa continued, "I can't take this anymore! I don't like who you are now! Why can't you just be you? Why did you have to change?"

Lucius held her tighter. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat calmed Narcissa down a little.

She started speaking again, more softly this time. "You used to look at me in a special way too. Why don't you look at me like that anymore?" She looked up, and Lucius could see the tears in her eyes. "I want you back," she said. "I miss you. I need you. Why did you go away? I just… I just want to feel like you still love me. Is that so much to ask? Actions speak louder than words, Lucius, and based on your actions, you don't want to have anything to do with me. It hurts inside. Everyday it gets worse. I don't want that pain anymore. I can't take it."

"I'm sorry," he said, speaking for the first time since his wife had started ranting. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "Can you forgive me?"

Narcissa closed her eyes. "I forgave you when you forgot my sixteenth birthday. But this—this hurt so much more. I don't know if it will be so easy this time."

Lucius bent down and kissed her, putting as much passion behind it as he could.

"That's a start," Narcissa replied, smiling weakly.

---

Narcissa entered the bedroom. Lucius was sitting on the edge of the bed. As her gaze moved from the mark on his left arm to the look of fear in his eyes, realization dawned on her. "It's him, isn't it? The Dark Lord is back."

TO BE CONTINUED…

Author's Note: Well, this was supposed to be the last chapter, but due to popular demand, I have decided to write another chapter based on _Order of the Phoenix._


	6. Expectations

Author's Note: Well, it's been quite a while since I worked on this fic. I hope this chapter ends the story better than my original ending did… I managed to fit some _Order of the Phoenix_ stuff in here, but keep in mind that I began this story before it came out.

Title: An Unexpected Love  
Rating: PG  
Spoilers: Just a little.  
Summary: Narcissa Black marries Lucius Malfoy, never expecting to love him as much as she does. This is the story of what the wife of a Death Eater goes through when she loses her husband.  
Disclaimer: All this _Harry Potter _stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling, but the plot of this story is mine.  
Setting: This story begins during Lucius and Narcissa's days at Hogwarts and goes through their years of marriage to each other.

--- - setting change  
111 - begin flashback  
000 - end flashback  
/…/ - time  
_italics - _emphasis

-Expectations-

/Draco's fifth year/

Narcissa watched as her husband put on his Death Eater robes. "When will you be back?" she asked, looking up at him from where she was sitting on the edge of the bed.

Lucius looked at her. "Long after you're asleep."

Narcissa doubted that she would even be able to sleep. "You _will _be back, won't you?"

After a moment of silence, Lucius replied, "Of course." Truthfully, he was unsure of whether or not he _would _be back, but he couldn't tell Narcissa that. Unsure of what else he should say, he swept out of the room without another word.

Narcissa closed her eyes. Lucius still wasn't able to tell her he loved her before he went out. Narcissa knew that he did, but sometimes she wasn't so sure. The incident that had occurred a few months ago had made things better, certainly. However, it hadn't returned things to the way they had been fifteen years ago, before the Dark Lord had been defeated and everything had changed.

Now the Dark Lord had come back and taken Lucius away yet again, leaving Narcissa alone. Narcissa hated being alone. She was always alone in this big, empty mansion.

She was sure that it was the Dark Lord's influence that had changed her husband. Narcissa had to admit that Lucius had had a dark side long before he had ever become a Death Eater, but she thought that it was Lord Voldemort who had brought it to the surface.

"I hate you," she whispered. "I hate you for doing this to him." She stood up and went to the window. "He is mine, you hear me? Not yours. Mine." But she knew that she had already lost. Nobody won against the Dark Lord—except the Potter boy, and he was the enemy.

Lord Voldemort had left an imprint on their lives, just as he had marked Lucius. Before he was defeated, Lucius had been almost a slave to him. Shortly after the Dark Lord was defeated, Lucius went through hell to keep his safe, comfortable lifestyle. And when Voldemort had gone away and left the magical community of England, he had taken Lucius's humanity with him.

Narcissa waited, but the tears did not come. The pain was now too great for mere tears to express.

---

A few weeks later, Lucius entered the bedroom late one night to find Narcissa staring at the door, seemingly waiting for him to return.

"What are you doing up, Narcissa?" he asked, removing his cloak. "It's late."

"It's not that late," she replied.

"It's half past two," Lucius responded.

Narcissa's gaze met his. "Do you remember the day we met? The day we first spoke to each other, I mean."

"How could I forget?" Lucius smirked. "As I recall, you called me an arrogant, egotistical pig."

Narcissa hid a smile. "Yes, I did."

"I also remember that I was absolutely taken with you after that."

Narcissa adopted an expression of mild surprise. "But that was two years before you asked me to be your girlfriend."

"I was more patient back then," Lucius replied. "It paid off. I got what I wanted, didn't I?" He looked curiously at Narcissa. "Is there a reason you brought up the topic?"

"Not especially."

"Don't lie to me," Lucius said coldly.

"You lie to me all the time," Narcissa countered.

Lucius gave no visible reaction. After about a minute, he said softly, "I lie to protect you. You lie to protect yourself."

Narcissa felt ashamed. "I'm sorry." She stared at her hands as Lucius got ready for bed. Then, when her husband settled himself under the covers, she asked, "Have I been a good wife to you, Lucius?"

"Better than I could have expected," Lucius replied. He stared at her. "You're acting very peculiar tonight."

"I've always been peculiar," Narcissa replied. "Perhaps you just never took the time to notice."

---

Draco was home for Christmas. Narcissa was quite happy about that. She disliked it when her son went away to school, taking his light with him. However, Narcissa saw that the light within Draco was fading and being replaced by darkness. She saw that he was following in his father's footsteps.

Draco wasn't such a little angel anymore. He was losing his innocence, just as his father had.

---

Christmas dinner in the Malfoy house was a spectacular affair, although only three people were there to enjoy it.

Despite the festive nature of the holiday, Lucius and Draco managed to steer most of the conversation toward Lord Voldemort and how his plans were going.

"Father, I want to be a Death Eater," Draco said, swallowing a piece of turkey.

Narcissa put down her fork and looked at her husband, apprehensively waiting for Lucius's answer. The Dark Lord was constantly taking people away from her. First her sister, then her husband, and now her son. There was nothing Narcissa could do but allow him to do it.

Lucius gave his son an appraising glance, then turned his attention back to his plate. "No. You're too young."

"But Father—"

"You are not ready to join the ranks of the Death Eaters," Lucius replied. "You'd probably get yourself killed the first time out. You will not be permitted to become a Death Eater until _I_ decide that you can."

---

"Thank you," Narcissa said once she and Lucius were in their bedroom.

"For what?"

"For not letting Draco—"

"I didn't do it for you," Lucius said, cutting her off. "He wouldn't be able to handle it. He thinks it's easy to be a Death Eater." He went to stand by the window. "He has no idea how it feels to—" He clutched at his arm, feeling Lord Voldemort's call. He crossed the room, pulling out his hidden Death Eater robes. He began to put them on.

"Who was the first person you ever killed?" Narcissa asked quietly.

Lucius paused and looked at her. "Charlotte Davis. And that friend of hers, Koren Smith—she came right after."

"You remember," Narcissa said.

Lucius turned away. "It's not something that's easy to forget." He moved toward the door. "I must be leaving now."

"Lucius?"

"Yes?"

Narcissa began to say something, but faltered and said instead, "Say hello to my sister for me."

Lucius nodded curtly and walked out of the room.

Narcissa sat in a chair by the window and gave a small sigh. She wished that Lucius had never killed anyone. Becoming a murderer had done something to him—it had taken away a part of him that Narcissa missed. When she was younger, she had been so enamored of Lucius that she hadn't noticed the change in him. But now that she had time to think about it, Narcissa knew that she had been losing Lucius since before they were even married.

Lucius was able to love. But he was also able to kill.

How could a man have so much light and yet so much darkness inside him?

---

Kreacher, the house-elf that belonged to Narcissa's late aunt, left the Malfoy residence to return to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place in case he should be missed. This was his second visit to the manor. After the elf's departure, Lucius left the house as well. He needed to see the Dark Lord right away.

Narcissa once again found herself sitting at home alone. Draco had gone back to school, so the house seemed darker to its mistress.

Narcissa longed for her husband. It was so deathly quiet without his energy, his essence—that thing that was so unmistakably Malfoy. It was the very thing about Lucius that Narcissa had fallen in love with him for—that she still loved him for.

She was so desperately in love with him that it hurt.

She hadn't expected to fall in love with him. When she had first met him, she thought that he was too arrogant and self-absorbed to ever be able to care for her. He had thought the same of her, but she didn't know that.

Lucius had never expected anything of her except to love him. But he had forgotten that she expected the same from him.

Narcissa's memories of the way her husband used to be were all that sustained her now. She remembered the day he had asked her to marry him. He had been so innocent then. He hadn't had blood on his hands. She remembered the days when she was the only thing that mattered to him. Over the years, Lucius's warmness had receded, leaving hard, cold silver in its wake.

111

"We're getting married tomorrow," eighteen-year-old Lucius said. He and his fiancée were sitting under a tree on the Blacks' estate. Lucius was seated facing west, and Narcissa was facing south.

"I know," Narcissa replied. She smiled, even though she knew he couldn't see it. "All the arrangements have been made. The wedding will be perfect."

"It bloody well better be," Lucius muttered. "After all the money we've spent on it…"

Narcissa laughed.

Lucius stood up. "Blasted sun," he said, coming to stand directly in front of Narcissa. "Let's go inside." He silently offered his hand to help her up.

The young woman reached out a hand, placing it in Lucius's palm. Before she pushed herself off the ground, though, she looked up at her fiancé. She found herself entranced by what she saw—the sunlight shone on the young man's hair, turning it golden. This was how Narcissa had always imagined the real Lucius to be—warm, with a golden aura about him. She had never seen him look like this before. The silver quality in Lucius's blond hair had always made him seem colder than he was.

Narcissa stood up, continuing to stare at Lucius like she had never seen anything quite like him before.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because I never have before."

000

It wasn't fair. After all these years… She had finally spoken her mind and gotten her husband to listen to her. But then the Dark Lord had to come back and ruin it all. With the return of his master, Lucius had to revert back to his cold, Muggle-hating self. There was no room for the sweet teenage boy he had once been.

---

Lucius should have been back by now. He had said—he had _promised_ he would return hours before the sun came up. But the dawn's early light was already creeping up over the horizon, and Lucius had not come back to the manor.

Helplessness had never been Narcissa's favorite emotion.

Still, Narcissa waited.

She wondered why she still desired so much. She had a good life. Lucius had given her everything she'd ever wanted. And yet… happiness eluded her.

An owl tapped on the window, pulling Narcissa out of her reverie. Narcissa opened the window and took the scroll of parchment attached to the owl's leg. She unrolled it to find a message from the Ministry. Lucius had been captured, along with several other Death Eaters.

It couldn't be true. He couldn't have been captured—not _her _husband. He was Lucius Malfoy, for Merlin's sake!

But the letter was here, and Lucius wasn't.

Narcissa was only just beginning to realize that Lucius wasn't coming back. Oh, it wouldn't be very hard for him to break out of Azkaban, certainly not. But even if he physically returned to Narcissa, he would never do so emotionally.

"I didn't think I could love you," she whispered, "and I didn't think you could love me. But I was wrong."

Nothing hurt worse than the loss of an unexpected love.

THE END

Author's Note: Well, how was that for a new ending? I think it tied things up quite nicely.

BIG THANK YOU TO: Caprigrrl, Usako3000, sofa-king-retarded, PrincessWitch, terani, killinjoke, Neo Moon Queen, Forbidden, Kira Blackwell, love-princess1, Cygna-hime, Kilatara-Twins, Sammie Tonks, and all the anonymous reviewers!


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